The present invention relates to an apparatus for separating and conveying substantially rectangular, plate-like objects.
The apparatus is of the type that has an endless, stepwise advanced delivery conveyor on which the objects are carried while in a lengthwise contact with one another. The objects are pushed from the delivery conveyor to a continuously advanced removal conveyor which extends at least approximately parallel to the delivery conveyor and which has object carrier members determining the spacing between successive objects on the removal conveyor.
Various such apparatuses are known with which flat objects delivered in an uninterrupted series are shifted from a first conveying member to a second conveying member with which they are transported uniformly spaced.
For example, in Swiss Pat. No. 489,412 an apparatus is disclosed wherein, for the purpose of saving time, the first conveying member is operated continuously and the objects are lifted up by means of a fork gripper and deposited on the second conveying member.
According to Swiss Pat. No. 540,180, this arrangement has been improved relative to the structural design necessitated by the additional movement performed by the fork gripper, involves high expenditures in addition to limiting the operating speed. Instead of the fork gripper, a pusher is provided with which the objects are pushed from one conveying member to the other conveying member. The pusher is moved along a closed curve. In this way it is possible to also absorb dimensional tolerances in the objects.
In all known devices, the movement of the second conveying member and the movement of the transfer means back over the first conveying member must be synchronized with the movement of the first conveyor member. This is done either in that the first conveying member operates discontinuously, i.e. in steps, or in that the first conveying member is operated continuously but at a considerably slower speed. Even if the second conveying member were able to be operated faster, there would still occur a delay caused by the return movement of the transfer means or by the limited acceleration of the transfer means and/or of the first conveying member.